Chilliwack Museum and Historical Society facts for kids
James Cleland Richardson statue in front of the Chilliwack Museum and Archives
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| Established | 1958 |
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| Location | 45820 Spadina Avenue Chilliwack, British Columbia V2P 4A6 |
| Type | History Museum |
The Chilliwack Museum and Historical Society is a special group that runs the Chilliwack Museum and Archives. It's a non-profit organization, which means it doesn't aim to make money. This museum and archives is located in Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. It helps people learn about the history of the Chilliwack area.
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Where is the Chilliwack Museum?
The Chilliwack Museum and Historical Society has two main places in downtown Chilliwack.
The Museum Building
The Chilliwack Museum is at 45820 Spadina Avenue. It's inside the old Chilliwack City Hall building. This building is very important! It's even a National Historic Site of Canada. At the Museum, you can see different exhibits and take part in history programs.
The Archives Research Centre
The Society also has the Chilliwack Archives Research Centre. It's located at Evergreen Hall, 9291 Corbould Street. This is where they keep old documents and objects safe. The archives have special storage to protect these valuable historical items.
How the Museum Started
People in Chilliwack first thought about having a museum in 1956. They wanted to celebrate the town's 100th birthday in 1958.
Early Days of the Museum
- 1958: The first museum opened in March. It was run by the Chilliwack Historical Society. The city council gave them a room in the police building.
- 1960: The museum moved to a room in the local library.
- 1971: For another big celebration, the museum moved again. This time, it went to Evergreen Hall and was renamed the Wells Centennial Museum.
Moving to the Old City Hall
- 1981: The Society was allowed to use the old City Hall building on Spadina Avenue. This is where the museum's exhibits and offices moved. However, the archives and collections stayed at Evergreen Hall.
- 2011: The archives at Evergreen Hall got bigger. This doubled the space for storing old documents and objects.
- 2013: The archives received a huge gift! It was about 400,000 photos and negatives. These pictures were taken by a local photography business between 1948 and 2006. The museum also offered bus tours during the Chilliwack High School reunion.
- 2014: The museum helped with a local history project. It was called the Chilliwack Poppy Project.
What You Can Do at the Museum
The Chilliwack Museum and Archives offers many fun and educational programs all year.
Programs and Exhibitions
- They have programs for school groups from kindergarten to grade 12. These can be at the museum or in classrooms.
- You can take monthly tours of the Archives.
- The Museum building has both permanent and changing exhibits. These exhibits focus on the history of Chilliwack.
- The Chilliwack Museum and Archives website also has many online exhibits. One important online exhibit is Chilliwack's Chinatowns: A Story of Diversity, Racism and Arson. This exhibit is based on a book by Dr. Chad Reimer. It was created in 2019 and is hosted by the Virtual Museum of Canada.
Research and Collections
- The Society collects and takes care of local historical records and objects. These are important to the Chilliwack area.
- They let researchers and the public look at these collections.
- You can even search their collections online! They use a special database called PastPerfect Museum Software. It has been online since 2007.
- The Museum and Archives also helps people with local research. They publish books about community history. They also help with other local history and cultural projects.
How the Museum is Run
The Chilliwack Museum and Archives is managed by the Chilliwack Museum and Historical Society. This is a registered non-profit group.
Staff and Volunteers
- An Executive Director leads the team.
- There are four full-time staff members and three part-time staff members.
- About 20 volunteers also help out a lot!
Memberships and Funding
The Society is part of several important groups:
- The British Columbia Museums Association
- The Archives Association of British Columbia
- The Canadian Museums Association
The Chilliwack Museum and Historical Society gets money from different levels of government. This includes federal, provincial, and city governments.
